What was the importance of the Boston Massacre?

On March 5th, 1770, five men in Boston were killed by gunfire, with many others wounded. A group of men were heckling some British Army soldiers sent to try and keep colonial tensions under control- many people in Boston were upset with the taxes on imported goods imposed by the British Parliament. Prior to the shooting, a group of men gathered to shout insults and throw snowballs at some of the soldiers, who opened fire in their anger.

The Boston Massacre, as we now know it, was a turning point in the American Revolution. An engraving by Paul Revere, depicting the scene of colonists being shot by a line of British soldiers, quickly became the popular image of the event. It painted (figuratively) the British as violent and unjust rulers overlords who sought to exploit the colonists for monetary gain. Both the event and engraving of the Boston Massacre played a part in inspiring colonists to rise up against British rule in favor of American independence.